MARINE FROM TEANECK DIES DURING TRAINING EXERCISES

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Sunday, March 10, 1991

The Record (New Jersey) | All Editions | NEWS | Page A04

A 20-year-old Teaneck man died, apparently of a heart attack, while undergoing combat water survival training Friday at the Marine Corps training base at Parris Island, S.C., a Marine spokesman said.
Danilo A. Marty Jr., was training at an indoor swimming pool to upgrade his water survival safety qualifications from third class to second class when he collapsed about 2:30 p.m., Capt. J.R. Mill said Saturday.
“It looked like . . . during the evolution of that exercise, he obviously must have experienced difficulties,” Mill said. “While they were trying to get him out of the pool, he apparently collapsed.”
Marty, who was in the pool with approximately 55 other men when the attack occurred, was pronounced dead at 3:47 p.m. Friday at the Beaufort Naval Hospital, Mill said. The cause of death was listed as “cardiopulmonary arrest, secondary to aspiration” a heart attack, he added.
Marty arrived Feb. 14 at Parris Island and began the 12-week cycle popularly known as “Boot Camp,” Mill said.
“You think it is hard to lose a Marine in combat. You can compound that a hundredfold when we lose a recruit in training,” he said.
Marty’s family has already been notified of his death, Mill said. The Martys, whose telephone number was unlisted, could not be reached for comment Saturday. Before Marty could be deemed medically fit for recruit training, Mill said, he would have undergone two complete medical examinations.
A typical day for recruits begins about 4:30 a.m., and training, which lasts until about 8 p.m., is fitted in between personal care and meals, Mill said. The safety qualification training began about 1:30 p.m. Friday and was to go on until 3 p.m. Marty, in attaining his third class safety qualification, demonstrated he could take care of himself, Mill said. Friday’s training was to teach him how to do that and take care of a wounded Marine at the same time, he said.
Although what Marty was doing when he began experiencing difficulty is now the subject of investigation, Mill said, the recruit was in the pool wearing full Marine gear, including boots, utilities, helmet, flak jacket, H-harness, cartridge belt, two magazine pouches, two full canteen with covers, a rubber rifle, duplicate of a M-16 A2 service rifle, and a standard 40-pound pack.

Keywords: TEANECK; DEATH; VICTIM; DEFENSE; NEW JERSEY

MAN DIES AFTER FIRE LINKED TO SMOKING FOUND IN BURNING ENGLEWOOD HOUSE

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Saturday, March 2, 1991

The Record (New Jersey) | One Star | NEWS | Page A03

A 66-year-old man died of smoke inhalation about 45 minutes after firefighters had pulled him out of his burning home on Thursday, officials said.
It appeared that Claude Harvey of 71 Spring Lane had been smoking in bed, although an investigation continues, Bergen County Prosecutor John J. Fahy said in a statement on Friday.
Englewood Fire Chief Douglas Baker said firefighters found Harvey unconscious at about 9:20 p.m. in a bathroom on the second floor of the three-story home. Police called in the fire at 9:14 p.m., but it appeared to have been burning for some time, he said.
“The bedroom in the second floor was fully involved when we got there,” Baker said. “It’s a large structure with many rooms, which made it difficult for search and rescue. “
Harvey was taken to Englewood Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 10:04 p.m.
About 35 firefighters from Englewood and Tenafly battled the blaze and had it under control in about 25 minutes. The fire was so intense it burned through the floor of the second-floor bedroom, with a mattress being found in the first-floor living room, Baker said.
Englewood Patrolman John P. Morgan found the burning house by following smoke he had seen on the horizon as he traveled north on Engle Street while on patrol, said Capt. C. Kenneth Tinsley. Morgan arrived to find smoke coming out of the second-floor window and the roof, Tinsley said.

Keywords: ENGLEWOOD; TOBACCO; DEATH; VICTIM

HAWORTH MAN, TWO RELATIVES DROWN IN FLA.; HIS CAR PLUNGED INTO ROADSIDE CANAL

By Michael O. Allen and John Mooney, Record Staff Writers | Thursday, January 27, 1991

The Record (New Jersey) | All Editions | NEWS | Page A03

A 71-year-old Haworth man, his daughter, and his grandson drowned after their car veered off a Florida highway, tore through a fence, and plunged into a 35-foot-deep canal, police said.
Emanuel “Manny” Morgan of 854 Sunset Ave., Haworth; his 37-year-old daughter, Arlene Kepp of Naples, Fla.; and his 4-year-old grandson, Steven Kepp, were buried in Naples Wednesday, said a spokeswoman for the funeral home that handled the arrangements.
Autopsies by the Collier County Medical Examiner’s office revealed that all three drowned in the Monday accident, said a spokeswoman for the office.
Morgan owned Martin Furniture store in West New York for 42 years and was known for his charitable work there and in other communities. He was a Navy veteran of World War II.
His son Stewart Morgan said Friday that Morgan had donated lots of time and money to local synagogues.
“He did a lot of charity work that he never told anyone about,” said Morgan, who with his brother Neil also works at the furniture store.
“For 15 years on every single Christmas, my father gave out gifts to senior citizens in West New York. He just didn’t want anyone to be forgotten. “
The incident occurred while the elder Morgan was traveling from Miami Beach to Naples with his 63-year-old wife, Jeanette, and his daughter and grandson, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The Morgans had recently purchased a condominium in Miami Beach.
Jeanette Morgan was driving the 1989 Ford station wagon about 3:30 p.m. Monday and was westbound on Alligator Alley, or State Road 93, when the car veered onto the shoulder, a police spokeswoman said.
Police said Morgan panicked and grabbed the steering wheel, causing his wife to lose control of the car. The vehicle went through a 12-foot-high fence separating the road from the canal, plunging into the recently deepened waters.
Jeanette Morgan, who swam to safety, was treated at Naples Community Hospital for minor injuries and was released Tuesday, said hospital spokeswoman Debbie Curry.

Keywords: HAWORTH; FLORIDA; DEATH; VICTIM; ACCIDENT; MOTOR VEHICLE; RIVER

HACKENSACK SHOOTING VICTIM HELD; POLICE SAY HE RAN COCAINE RING

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Saturday, January 12, 1991

The Record (New Jersey) | All Editions | NEWS | Page A03

A 28-year-old city resident who was paralyzed last month in what New York police called a drug-related shootout was arrested Friday on drug and weapon charges as he came out of a hospital.
Juan Cuevas, now wheelchair-bound, had just attended a physical-therapy session at Hackensack Medical Center when police arrested him at noon, Police Chief William Iurato said.
Cuevas was charged with possession of a firearm, possession of cocaine, and possession of drug paraphernalia as a result of a police raid on his home last month. He was released after his wife paid 10 percent of $5,000 bail.
Iurato said police will move to seize Cuevas single-family, Colonial-style house at 385 Summit Ave. because he operated a large-scale cocaine ring there. Cuevas purchased the house for $275,000 in August, the chief said.
“At this point we don’t know how sophisticated the operation was, but the home was protected by a sophisticated surveillance and burglar-alarm system,” Iurato said.
New York City police found the bullet-riddled bodies of four men, including Cuevas, at 620 S. 147th St. in Manhattan on Dec. 16. Two of the men were dead. Cuevas, who had been shot in the chest and lungs, and the fourth man were hospitalized.
Acting on a tip from an anonymous caller on Dec. 18, the Hackensack Police Narcotics Unit arrested his wife, Elizabeth Cuevas, 23, his brother, Jose Cuevas, 24, and Anselmo Pineda, 37, at the house. During the arrest, Hackensack police found a .45-caliber handgun, scales used to weigh drugs, burglar alarms, signaling devices, and surveillance cameras in and outside the house, including one in a birdhouse.

Keywords: HACKENSACK; SHOOTING; VICTIM; DRUG; CRIME

HIT-RUN VICTIM WAS TO SEE TO ILL WIFE; `FAMILY MAN SAID HE’D REJOIN FRIENDS

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Thursday, January 3, 1991

The Record (New Jersey) | Four Star B | NEWS | Page B03

Minutes before the new year was ushered in, Jarvis Stephenson told friends at the American Legion post that he was going home to check on his ill wife and that he would be back an hour later.
Stephenson, 39, would do neither.
A hit-and-run driver struck and fatally injured him as he crossed Forest Avenue outside the post, police said. He was pronounced dead at Englewood Hospital at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Lt. Charles Dillon, commander of the Englewood Police Traffic Bureau, said Wednesday that the search for the driver of the car was continuing but declined to say whether investigators had a suspect in mind or a make on the car.
In another incident in which a car hit a pedestrian, Eric Foreman, 17, of Millen, Ga., was more fortunate. Foreman’s legs were fractured when he was struck by a northbound car as he attempted to cross Route 17 in Ramsey on Tuesday, police said.
He was in stable condition at University Hospital in Newark on Wednesday, a hospital spokesman said.
The motorist, Daniel E. Melehan, 53, of Baldwin Road, Saddle River, was not charged, police said.
Janice Rochester, a bartender at American Legion Post 58 in Englewood, said she had known Stephenson, an NJ Transit bus driver, for about 17 years. Stephenson had been helping her wash cocktail glasses and serve drinks, but was not drinking, Rochester said.
“Jarvis was in very good spirits; he was as happy as he could be,” Rochester said. “He talked about his daughter a lot. That was his heart. That was his love. He was very much a family man. His wife and his daughter were very special to him.”
Rochester, 43, of Hackensack, said Stephenson told her that his wife, Josie, was ill and that he was going to check on her.

Keywords: ENGLEWOOD; MOTOR VEHICLE; ACCIDENT; VICTIM; DEATH

MAN DIES AS JEEP HITS DISABLED TRUCK ON ROUTE 17

MICHAEL O. ALLEN | Wednesday, December 5, 1990

The Record (New Jersey) | Four Star B | NEWS | Page B03

A 20-year-old Fair Lawn man died early Tuesday morning after he was pinned between two tow trucks on Route 17, officials said.

Raymond A. Schotanes was between the two vehicles preparing to have his disabled tow truck hauled away when it was struck by a Jeep Cherokee about 11:50 p.m. Monday, said Bergen County Prosecutor John J. Fahy.

Schotanes was pronounced dead at Hackensack Medical Center at 2:05 a.m. Tuesday, Fahy said.
The driver of the Cherokee, Scott Taub, 31, of Chestnut Ridge, N.Y., was listed in good condition at the medical center, a spokeswoman said.

Two other people were injured in the accident, which involved a fourth vehicle. William Prince, 48, of Jersey City was in fair condition at the medical center. David Kramer, 28, of Hackensack was treated and released.

Police were unable to say how the fourth vehicle became involved in the accident, or which vehicle Prince and Kramer were in.

Fahy said the Bergen County Fatal Accident Unit and the Hasbrouck Heights Police Department’s Traffic Bureau were investigating the cause of the accident, which occurred in the northbound lane of Route 17 across from the Holiday Inn.

MAN, 27, IS CHARGED WITH DEATH BY AUTO

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Thursday, November 22, 1990

The Record (New Jersey) | All Editions | NEWS | Page A76

A 27-year-old Jersey City man has been charged with death by auto stemming from an alleged drag race with a Plainfield youth that killed a Ridgefield woman.

Franco Castella of 135A North St. was also charged with assault with an automobile and driving on a suspended license, stemming from the Nov. 7 crash on Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen, said North Bergen Police Officer George Alburtus.

Castella, whom police originally identified as Antonio Castella, was released on $1,000 bail following his arrest Tuesday, police said.

The Plainfield youth, who is 17, was charged on Tuesday with the same felony counts that Castella faces. The teenager, whose identity is being withheld by police because of his age, also faces a charge of driving without a license.

He remained in stable condition at the Jersey City Medical Center Wednesday.

Alburtus said at least one more person involved in the pileup on Tonnelle Avenue and 49th Street faces motor-vehicle violation charges. Allen Betancourt, 19, of Piscataway will be charged with allowing an unlicensed driver to operate a motor vehicle and allowing people to sit in a compartment not designated for passengers.

Betancourt borrowed the red 1985 Porsche, driven by the 17-year-old, from its owner, and was one of four people packed into the two-seater when the accident occurred, Alburtus said.

Carmela Berardo, 49, of 414 Abbott St., Ridgefield, was killed instantly when the Porsche crossed into the northbound lane of Tonnelle Avenue and struck the car she was riding in. Her husband, Florindo, who was driving, suffered a broken right foot and facial abrasions. His mother, Michelina Berardo, 69, broke both legs, suffered a fractured skull, and remained unconscious in critical condition at St. Vincent’s Hospital in New York City on Wednesday.

DRAG RACING CITED IN FATALITY

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Wednesday, November 21, 1990

The Record (New Jersey) | One Star | NEWS | Page B01

North Bergen police Tuesday charged a Plainfield youth and issued a warrant for the arrest of a 27-year-old Jersey City man in connection with a fatal collision that police now say was the result of drag racing.

A Ridgefield woman was killed instantly in the head-on collision Nov. 7, and her mother-in-law remains unconscious and in critical condition from the accident.

The youth, a 17-year-old whom police would not identify because of his age, was charged with death by auto and assault by auto in the crash at 49th Street and Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen.
An arrest warrant on the same charges was issued for Antonio Castella of 135A North St. in Jersey City.

Police said Castella was driving with a suspended license, and the youth was driving without a license. Four people were packed into the red 1985 two-seat Porsche that the youth was driving, police said.

The two “wantonly, willfully, and carelessly drove their vehicles . . . with disregard for life or property,” said North Bergen Police Officer George Alburtus. “According to witnesses, they were traveling at a high rate of speed, leaving smoke and screeching tires. “

Carmela Berardo, 49, of 414 Abbott St., Ridgefield was killed instantly when the Porsche crossed into the northbound lane on Tonnelle Avenue and struck the car she was riding in. Michelina Berardo, 69, of the same address, remained Tuesday in St. Vincent’s Hospital in New York City with a fractured skull and two broken legs.

The youth, who also was injured in the crash, was in stable condition Tuesday at Jersey City Medical Center.

In all, six cars were involved in the pileup that followed the collision, and six people were injured.

Berardo’s husband, Florindo Berardo, 50, left the hospital Nov. 12 to attend his wife’s funeral.

Berardo, who was driving when the collision occurred, suffered a broken right foot and facial abrasions.

Madeleine M. Sheldrick, 30, a pregnant North Bergen resident, and Tamburas Ortiz, 18, brother of the arrested youth, were treated and released the same day. Allen Betancourt, 19, of Piscataway was released Nov. 14 from Jersey City Medical Center.

“No one is interested in retribution,” De Vito said Tuesday. “We are interested in justice, but justice here pleads out for severe penalties to be imposed and incarceration.

“Words like disgusting, tragic, and senseless don’t even begin to define the horror and the loss to this family. “

The family was returning in two cars from visiting an aunt in Jersey City at about 10:30 on the night of the accident.

The Berardos 27-year-old daughter, Michelle Sosa, who was driving ahead of her parents, said she was stopped at a light at 51st Street when she noticed the Porsche and Castella’s Mustang.

“As soon as the light changed, they pulled out, like, they peeled out so fast that there was smoke and noise and everything,” she said.

“It was just overwhelming how much smoke and noise. And all of a sudden I looked in my rearview mirror. I noticed that the red Porsche was in the opposite side of the lane, in the northbound lane. He must have hit my parents then.”

MAN DIES AFTER CAR CRASHES INTO TREE

MICHAEL O. ALLEN | Sunday, November 18, 1990

The Record (New Jersey) | All Editions | NEWS | Page A06

A 21-year-old Brick Township man died Friday from injuries he suffered when he lost control of his car and it ran off the Newark-Pompton Turnpike and struck a tree, police said.

Police believe William J. Bischowff Jr. may have been speeding, said Lt. Donald Stouthamer, commander of the Wayne Police Traffic Bureau, in a statement released Saturday.

Bischowff, a former Wayne resident, was pronouced dead at 11:21 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Paterson, Stouthamer said. He was alone in a 1990 Ford Mustang GTI headed south when the crash occurred on Doig Road at about 10:15 p.m., Stouthamer said.

Notes: Passaic page